Chapter 116: Sending the Fish Tank and Seeds“Rui’an great elder princess?” Qin Wanru was stunned and hurriedly stood up, ready to bow to her, but Rui’an great elder princess instructed Nanny Gao to stop her.
“Since your ankle is injured, you don’t have to bow to me. I inexplicably feel that you are adorable when I see you. Our meeting today can be counted as predestined. Coming to the capital means that you should join the circle of n.o.ble ladies. When the invitation from my family arrives, you and your mother can come together to my family!” Rui’an great elder princess stood up, speaking to Qin Wanru with a smile.
“Thank you, great elder princess!” Qin Wanru excitedly looked up and then bowed with Yujie as her support.
Qin Wanru was young, but she had manners, which made Rui’an great elder princess’s impression of her become better and better. The princess didn’t avoid her bow this time and let her do it. After that, she pulled a bracelet from her wrist, took the hand of Qin Wanru, and put it on her wrist.
“Okay, I am leaving now. When my family affairs are done, I will send you an invitation!” Rui’an great elder princess smiled, looking quite happy.
“Thank you, great elder princess!” Qin Wanru bowed low again. Her grat.i.tude was sincere because she would have to follow Madam Di to attend parties in the end if she were not guided by Rui’an great elder princess.
Whether or not Madam Di would make mischief behind them, following Madam Di to attend parties, by borrowing the fame of Duke Yong’s Mansion, would make her become inferior to Madam Di in nature. In the future, if troublesome things happened between Qin’s Mansion and Madam Di or Duke Yong’s Mansion, Qin’s Mansion would only have to compromise again and again, and even become coerced by Duke Yong’s Mansion.
In her previous life, Shui Ruolan had endured a premature birth because of Madam Di’s secret evil actions, and two lives were lost in the end. The case was investigated and finally had a crystal-clear result was found. But after Duke Yong’s Mansion and Duke Xing’s Mansion put pressure on the case, the case finally ended up with nothing definite. Shui Ruolan died without due justice.
The reason was that Qin’s Mansion didn’t think it should lose the support and help of Duke Yong’s Mansion. But this time, she had to protect Shui Ruolan, ensuring her safe childbirth.
She would not allow Madam Di to murder the mother and her child anymore!
Out of this concern, she would need to build up relations with Duke Yong’s Mansion as soon as she arrived in the capital, and would never work as the one that relied on Duke Yong’s Mansion when she joined the circle of the n.o.ble families.
Rui’an great elder princess had pointed out the shortcut that directly led to the female circle of the n.o.ble families. How couldn’t she be thankful?
Even in her previous life, she also owed Rui’an great elder princess her grat.i.tude.
When Shui Ruolan reached the top heavily panting, Qin Wanru had been resting for a while. After she exercised her feet several times and asked Yujie to ma.s.sage them through her shoes, she didn’t feel that they were in that much pain anymore. Her ankles might have only been lightly sprained, and that was nothing serious. They almost recovered after being ma.s.saged with the help of the medicinal liquor.
“Wanru, why did you climb so quickly!” Shui Ruolan, who was resting on the stone stool, spoke as she wiped off her sweat with her handkerchief. Yujie had already come over and poured her a cup of tea.
The tea on the table had been warmed, and it was at the most suitable state for drinking. Shui Ruolan drank more than half a cup and gradually recovered.
Looking back at the faraway mountain path, she was also shocked because it was so high and so distant. Just now, she also surprisingly reached the top. Therefore, she admired Qin Wanru even more.
In the beginning, she thought that it would be good enough if Qin Wanru could reach the top. Unexpectedly, not only did she reach the top, but she also moved faster and rested less than her during the climb.
“Mother, the reason might be that I often play and become strong!” Qin Wanru smiled.
The two of them rested for a while and then walked into the temple. They didn’t stay too long on top of the mountain. After wors.h.i.+pping in several Buddhist halls, they hurriedly returned.
It was lunchtime when they returned to Qin’s Mansion, and it was early.
Qin Wanru and Shui Ruolan returned to their individual courtyards, the climbing and sweating had consumed all their strength.
Back in her courtyard, she washed her face and hands, combed her hair, and hurriedly ate a bowl of porridge. Then, she had no strength to do anything else. After taking a nap on the bed at noon, she was re-energized when she woke up although she was still sore from head to toe.
With the help of the medicinal liquor, Yujie had ma.s.saged the swollen parts on her feet, and the swollen situation nearly disappeared. She would only feel a little pain when she tried to exercise her feet. In addition to the swollen red marks on them, she couldn’t feel anything wrong.
As soon as she sat down at the window, she saw Nanny Yu hurriedly come in.
“Miss, someone has sent us a big fish tank and says it is the one that you have ordered before. I wish to know where we should put it?”
“Fish tank?” Qin Wanru was stunned.
“It is similar to the one in which water lilies were planted in the yard in the past, but it is a little bigger, and we can raise more fish in it.” Nanny w.a.n.g smiled as she spoke. She also felt that the arrival of the fish tank was odd because they had just arrived in the capital yesterday and someone had sent them a fish tank. But when she recalled that her young madam also had a fish tank in her previous yard for raising water lilies, she guessed that this one was probably one that Qin Wanru bought just now when she went out.
“Please… place it under the big tree in the east of the yard.” Only at that time did Qin Wanru know what was going on, and she couldn’t help smiling. “The childe hasn’t forgotten his promise.”
It was natural to keep it once it had been sent to her. In fact, she also wanted to raise a tank of water lilies because they were simple but looked beautiful. Besides that, she could also appreciate lotus flowers without going outdoors. That was also something elegant.
Nanny Yu listened to her instruction, nodded, and left, but she came in again with an embarra.s.sed face after a while.
“Miss, the servant who sent the fish tank says he wants to see you and also wants you to sign a receipt.”
“A receipt?” Qin Wanru raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Yes, he says it is a very important receipt and insists that you sign it,” Nanny Yu said helplessly. “The two servants didn’t listen to me no matter what I said. They say they will take out the receipt only when they see you. Otherwise, if that is not done, their boss will punish them.”
“Qing Yue, please go and take a look!” Qin Wanru said casually.
Qing Yue turned and followed Nanny Yu to go out, but she came back in with a strange expression and was followed by a man, murmuring, “Miss…”
Qin Wanru raised her head, her eyes moving from Qing Yue to the servant coming in with her. Immediately, her expression became strange because the person dressed like a servant was none other than Chu Liuchen. She couldn’t help holding her forehead with her hand, thinking, “What is the man trying to do this time?”
She waved her hand to ask Qing Yue and Yujie to leave them.
Both of them had seen Chu Liuchen before, knowing he was a distinguished childe, so they had no choice but to leave them.
“Childe, what are you going to do today?” Helplessly, Qin Wanru stood up. She was not going to go outdoors just after she woke up. Her long hair cascaded down freely, and she looked even smaller because of it.
“Are you really 11 years old?” Chu Liuchen looked at Qin Wanru dismissively, and walked over and sat down in the chair opposite her, looking sideways at her once.
“Childe, I really am 11 years old!” Qin Wanru reaffirmed.
“Children who are 11 years old in the capital look a little taller and older than you! Some of them almost look as old as your elder sister!” Staring at the exquisite porcelain-doll-like Qin Wanru made Chu Liuchen dislike her even more.
“How old does the childe think I am?” Qin Wanru bit her lips, asking.
“Nine or 10!” Chu Liuchen measured her height and age with his eyes, giving her a very definitive answer.
“…” Qin Wanru reached out her hands and poured a cup of tea on the table and carried it to him, asking, “What does the childe come for today? Are you well now?”
Regarding her small size, it was difficult to make it clear no matter how she explained it. Qin Wanru had stopped arguing with him about it and changed the subject as she smiled.
“Qin Wanru, is it too late for you to ask about my wellness now?” Chu Liuchen looked at Qin Wanru with a faint smile on his face, as if he was not surprised to hear her asking about his physical condition. He raised his eyebrows and had a small smile, looking gentle and harmless. Others might think that the man before them was as beautiful as a piece of jade and as unique as something unparalleled in the world.
But that was not what Qin Wanru thought!
Was he unhappy now? Qin Wanru didn’t know how she had made the haughty, sick childe unhappy. But what she could do was fake a smile and say, “I wanted to ask about it just now, but I had been wis.h.i.+ng to prove I am not young anymore after hearing you speak of my age. So, I forgot to ask about it!”
Chu Liuchen was still pale, but he looked vigorous. Taking a closer look, she found that his skin was pale, but it was also s.h.i.+ny. His skin was so delicate that she even envied him.
Chu Liuchen smiled and looked like he was the most handsome person in the world, and his look at Qin Wanru became soft, as if the person who was deliberately trying to pick holes just now had not been himself.
“I have brought you a packet of water lily seeds. When spring comes, you can sow the seeds, which are heterogeneous water lily seeds. I got them from my grandmother. The water lilies that grow out of these seeds look exceptionally beautiful, and they also have a long flowering period.” Chu Liuchen took out a packet of seeds from his chest and put them on the table.
“Very beautiful water lilies?” Qin Wanru also wished to keep them.
“Don’t you believe what I have brought you?” Chu Liuchen looked sideways at her twice, as he spoke unhappily. His handsome face gradually became serious again.
“What you have brought are absolutely good. Thank you, childe!” Qin Wanru stood up, bowing to him. One shouldn’t treat a childe the same as an ordinary person.
Chu Liuchen coldly snorted with some pride. Looking Qin Wanru up and down, he stood up and arrogantly walked outside.
“You look really small. I am leaving!”
Seeing the curtain fall, Qin Wanru was speechless. Today, the childe might have come only to play tricks on her! It was not a big deal to have brought such a big fish tank, but he had also paid a special visit. As for what it meant, she had no idea.
But thinking of his temperamental character, no one would be surprised by anything he did. If one could guess what he would do using common sense, then he would not be able to take the throne at the sickbed of the emperor in the future.
When Chu Liuchen and his little servant and eunuch Xiao Xuanzi arrogantly walked out of Qin’s Mansion and boarded the carriage of Prince Chen’s Mansion, his expression turned cold. He took out a handkerchief and lightly pressed his lips, coughing twice in a low sound.
“Sir, are you all right?” Just now, it was Xiao Xuanzi who carried what he had brought in fact, and Chu Liuchen had only helped him. Seeing his current condition, Xiao Xuanzi felt like his heart had jumped into his throat. Others might not know the prince’s physical condition, but he clearly knew it.
“Go, let’s go to the palace!” Chu Liuchen raised his beautiful face slightly, peacefully looking at the view outside the window. His expression gradually shrank, without joy or anger, and his pair of eyes had nothing s.h.i.+ny or moving inside. The young man was handsome indeed, but he showed no vitality. Leaning without any strength on the short bed inside his carriage, he slowly closed his eyes…